water fast day two: lethargy

sunset across the street from 3434

Today was more difficult, as I imagined it would be.   I have had very little energy all day; even after sleeping 10 hours last night.  I did go on a 1.5 hour hike in the Wissahickon with the dogs this am, and we hiked on  trails that were more challenging; i.e I had to climb over some rocks or fallen trees here and there, and boy did my legs feel weak.  I tripped and stumbled once, the hiking boots felt heavy on my noodly legs.  Even typing right now I feel like I should be lying down.

Wissahickon Valley Park

So the meal I had Friday night sustained me yesterday, but today my system struggled to catabolize my muscle tissue in an attempt to feed my important energy needs, namely my brain and other organs.  It did not want my legs and arms using any of that precious energy.  I took two naps today, and although my plan is either to go outside and sit by a fire on this gorgeous September evening, or else take Colin up on his offer to join he and Jessica for a movie, somehow I think there is a good chance I will not make it back downstairs.  Walking the five downhill blocks to Colin's seems like an insurmountable obstacle, especially since I will have to walk back up.  Although the prospect of seeing a movie actually appeals to me, which is shocking.

snoozing in the sun with mom

Anyway, I did manage to do some more laundry and housework, bottle up some kombucha, put out the trash, water the plants, and do a teeny weeny bit of weeding,  feed and hike with the dogs, read my book sitting in the sunshine in the garden, listen to this video, and spend a lot of time petting Mad and Chloe.  They did not object.

As for symptoms, I've been as I said lethargic as a boa constrictor with a goat in its belly, and on and off all day I've been hungry and cold.  I just got a bout of nausea that only lasted about 20 seconds, and I had a slight headache this am for a minute or two.  I've gotten more stomach gnawing and grumbling too, but that pretty much is how my body manifests hunger; that, and the lack of energy.  On the upside my eye circles, as well as my chronic itchy skin, are gone.

ketone body

The other weird side effect of this fast is that time, which usually rushes by me like the wind as I futilely try to grasp as much of it as I can before it slips though my fingers,  has actually slowed down.  It's strange.  I would imagine that this is the speed at which time is supposed to flow.  I looked up at the clock today several times and each time was shocked it was so early.  The list of chores I have to choose from every weekend was not even consulted, as I knew that this weekend was going to be about reading, writing and sleeping; that's it.  If I did more of this relaxing in my post-fast life would the incessant rush of those winds slow a bit?  This is an interesting speculation.

But I knew the weekend would be tough and I think I was smart to wait until ketosis until I returned to work, since I would have NEVER gotten through the day like this.  According to Fuhrman and others, by the third day of a total fast, (not the third day of a juice "fast" or any other "fast" where calories are consumed however)

...the liver starts generating a large quantity of ketones from the body's fat stores.  As the level of ketones rises in the bloodstream, the brain and other organs begin to use these ketones as their major fuel, thus greatly diminishing the utilization of glucose by the body.  This significantly limits muscle wasting.  These keto acids are utilized primarily by the brain, muscle tissue, and the heart.  --Joel Fuhrman, MD, Fasting and Eating for Health

So that's about it,  it's time to start building my fire.  It's mom's 70th birthday today so I need to give her a call and reassure her that I am not going to die of starvation this week.  I've been doing stuff like this for twenty years though, so I would not be surprised if she forgot about it already.

Stats: weight in am = 125.6, saliva PH = 6.5